"No Little Boy" - The 2008 CD Reissue and Remaster by One World Records
"...What A Time We Had..."
The 1993 John Martyn
compilation "No Little Boy" has a convoluted history and this March
2008 expanded CD reissue of it requires some explanation too.
After the well-received but
relative commercial failure of the "Piece By Piece" album in 1986 -
John Martyn found himself dropped by Island Records and without a contract. He
then signed to a new UK label - Permanent Records - who issued two albums of
new material - "The Apprentice" in 1990 and the wonderful
"Cooltide" in 1991.
However, away in the USA at
the time and without his knowledge or permission, Permanent took a swathe of
in-progress re-recordings of his old Island year's material and naughtily
released it as the compilation "Couldn't Love You More" in October
1992 on Permanent PERM 9. Martyn was understandably furious and denounced it.
But in a strange quirk of fate, the public largely embraced it (charted at 65)
and the album even opened up a whole new audience for him.
Back in the UK and determined
to do it 'properly' - JM put out this second compilation of re-recordings on
Permanent PERM 14 in July 1993 and called it "No Little Boy" (a lyric
from the song "Ways To Cry"). Seven of its 13 songs were NOT on the
"Couldn't Love You More" compilation and some of the other duplicate
titles turned out to be radically different versions too (even though it didn't
say this on the artwork).
Which brings us to this 3
March 2008 UK CD reissue of "No Little Boy" by JOHN MARTYN on One
World Records OW128CD (Barcode 604388689521). The original 13-track CD
compilation from 1993 is now upped by three bonus songs, the music newly
remastered and the booklet expanded and annotated better. It breaks down as
follows (78:35 minutes):
1. Solid Air (originally on
"Solid Air", February 1973)
2. Ways To Cry (originally on
"Inside Out", October 1973)
3. Could've Been Me
(originally on "Well Kept Secret", 1982)
4. Don't Want To Know
(originally on "Solid Air", February 1973)
5. Just Now (originally on
"Bless The Weather", 1971)
6. One Day Without You
(originally on "Sunday's Child", 1975)
7. Sweet Little Mystery
(originally on "Grace & Danger", 1980)
8. Pascanel (originally on
"Glorious Fool", 1981)
9. Sunday's Child (originally
on "Sunday's Child", 1975)
10. Head & Heart
(originally on "Bless The Weather", 1971)
11. Fine Lines (originally on
"Inside Out", October 1973)
12. Bless The Weather
(originally on "Bless The Weather", 1971)
13. Man In the Station
(originally on "Solid Air", February 1973)
BONUS TRACKS
14. One World (originally on
"One World", 1977)
15. Rock, Salt And Nails (see
Notes below)
16. Hole In The Rain (a REMIX
of a track originally on "Cooltide", 1991)
Notes: Tracks 2, 3 and 7 feature
PHIL COLLINS on duet vocals; Tracks 2, 3 and 14 feature DAVID GILMOUR of PINK FLOYD on
Guitar while LEVON HELM of THE BAND provides duet vocals on "Rock, Salt
And Nails" (a cover version written by BRUCE 'Utah' PHILLIPS). Other contributors include Alan Darby on Guitar, Alan Sheppard on Saxophone and Gerry Conway on Drums. Although
the booklet doesn't advise who remastered the tapes, the website seems to say
it was done by DALLAS SIMPSON – it's far better than the 1993 version I've had
all these years.
As you imagine, some of the
re-recordings work and some don't. Some to my ears are incredible, just as
lovely as the originals but more soulful (even if they are a bit over produced
in places). Special mention should also go to PHIL COLLINS for his heartfelt
vocal contributions especially on "Ways To Cry" - a track where both
their hurting personal lives seem to seep through their voices.
I derided the versions of
"Head & Heart" and "Man In The Station" on the
"Couldn't Love You More" compilation, but the versions here are much
better. "Fine Lines" is truly beautiful – my personal favorite - a
fabulous version, while "Pascanel" gets a superb update with the
girly vocals of Shaun Christopher and Rene Stewart and the piano work of Fred
Nelson. The bonuses are exceptional too – the new version of "One
World" is wicked as is the remix of a song I never tire of - "Hole In
The Rain". But 'the piece here is "Rock, Salt & Nails", a
cover version, which sees Martyn duet with Levon Helm of The Band to amazing
effect – so, so good.
Both collections have been
re-packaged to buggery by other labels since then (which hasn't helped) - so
fans have all but ignored them or forgotten them entirely. Personally - John
Martyn could fart in a bottle and I'd still want to hear it. Which is one of
the reasons for this review - this lovely and muscular 2008 REMASTER of that
2nd set has finally brought out just how good many of these re-recordings were
and still are. And I would urge fans and
newcomers to give these re-makes another chance.
Recommended...
